Just recently Mount Vernon native Asia Nitollano, was added as the newest member to worldwide hit girl group, the PussyCat Dolls. In a contest broadcast by CW11 ’s hit reality show the PussyCat Dolls Search for the Next Doll, Nitollano won judges and audiences with her enthusiastic stage performance of singing and dancing.
I’ll admit it, I watched the show rooting for the Westchester resident. I don’t really watch reality shows but when someone from your town or area ends up a finalist you can’t hepled but being pulled in to watch it hoping that person will win to represent your “hood.”
” People are always like I hate Westchester, but as soon as something like this where celebrity status associated with the city people begin to have immense pride for Westchester,” said Stephanie Gitlitz, New Rochelle resident and reality show fanatic.
Westchester is also the home of two-time academy award winner Denzel Washington (Mt. Vernon), Platinum recording artist and multiple Grammy winner Mary J. Blige (Yonkers) and many others.
New Rochelle may not be the breeding ground for the talent but it’s the setting. New Rochelle was the setting of the Dick Van Dyke Show and Catch Me if You Can.
Like the leaves that fall off the trees at autumn and slowly reappear at springtime, so it is with the guys who stand on the corner. During the harsh winter months they vanish only to return with the sunlight of spring. It is anyone’s guess what they are doing, but the residents of East Tremont have one thing in mind, illegal activity. “The neighborhood has come a long way,” said Charmaine, a one-time resident of East Tremont. “With police patrolling the streets it has become better,” she continued. There are some things, though, that seem to linger. Added pressure from the police department will no doubt continue to fight any illegal activity that inhabits the street corners and back roads of East Tremont. “I don’t walk on the Marmion side of the building,” said a resident of the neighborhood, “because I don’t want the police to think I am involved in anything,” he continued. Some people believe that the police are watching that section of Marmion.
   Co-op City has made the news and this time it’s not about the parking. Ms. Iris Baez, former Co-op City board president, was charged with bribery and conspiracy. $100,000 out of the $3.5 million contract would have gone to Ms. Baez for teaming up with a specific contractor.Â
   Will this cause problems for future contracts? It has already taken more than 4 years to fix the garages, which might leave residents to question where their maintenance fee is going. If residents were more interested in their neighborhood there might not be room for inside deals. As Ms. Gloria Wharton, president of building 9B, said ” People complain about things but they don’t do anything to follow up on it. What do they expect?”Â
Just recently my sister received a notice from the New Rochelle police department notifying her and all other tenants of the sex offenders located around the vicinity. When going through the list, we were shocked to find that one of those listed was one of my sister’s former classmates. I was even more shocked to discover that the person on the top of the list convicted with the most deviant crime was a man who lived literally two doors down from my house. I was outraged. We never received any letter from the police department.
Later, I told my friend and neighbor about the letter to see if she had received one or even heard about the situation. She said that the man had been living there for a year now and that she only found out from one of the residents in the apartment building across the street. I was appalled. I could not believe that the residential homes were never given notification. Many of these homes that have young women and children were never warned of the potential danger around them.
When looking to buy a home many people check to see if the neighborhood is safe especially those who have children. It’s scary to think who lives around you. There are many websites that allow you to search the registered sex offenders in your area. The suburbs are a place where people raise families. They are supposed to be safe, but how safe are they if residents are not notified about potential harm?
“People are always scared to go out into the city fearing that they’re going to be violated in some form, but honestly I’m more afraid to walk the streets of New Rochelle, the town that I grew up in at 9:00pm at night, than in the city at 1:00am wasted as a college kid,” said Teena Kurian New Rochelle resident and Cooper Union Alum.
Each year, in the months following major snowstorms, drivers and pedestrians alike can place sure bets on one thing, there are going to be massive potholes on major and minor thoroughfares. For suburbanites, that means remembering the exact location of the craters, because both main and back roads resemble the cheek of an acne-afflicted teenager hell bent on picking at the scabs. The faces made in reaction to that last sentence mirror the faces of motorists in Ossining, NY. “They create a hazardous situation, not only for the driver,” said Andrea Carson, Ossining resident, “But also for others on or around the road.”
Not to mention damages to vehicles. If a 2005 Toyota Camry, the 3rd top selling vehicle in 2005, according to Automotive News, hit a pothole and popped the right side tires, it would cost over $160 to replace them at Mavis Discount Tire in Ossining, NY.
In 2004, however, New York State responded to complaints concerning the holes by setting up a hotline. So if you happen to be on a NYS thruway or highway and you spot what looks like a meteor impact site, be a good citizen and dial up the state at 1-800-POTHOLE.
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Recently, a Bronx fire claimed the lives of eight children and one adult. It has been called one of the worst fires in history. However, it serves as a reminder of another deadly fire that took place in the Bronx neighborhood of East Tremont almost seventeen years ago.
      On March 25, 1990, at about 4 am, the Happy Land Social Club was set on fire by Julio Gonzales after he was thrown out of the club due to an altercation with another guest. That morning, eighty-seven people lost their lives.  As the anniversary approaches, there are signs that the neighborhood has recovered but also that the people in the community still remember that dreadful morning.
      Across the street from where the Happy Land Social Club was located, a memorial was built to honor the 87 victims who died that day. The site of the club has undergone changes since the fire. It was split into two separate establishments; one of which is a beauty shop and the other an income tax facility. Each business is accessible from the other; thus creating two exits instead of the one exit that the Happy Land Social Club had.
Despite the alterations, the burgundy color of the Happy Land Social Club is still visible above the awning of both establishments. There are no indications that they plan to change the color, perhaps honoring those who died in a different way.
Each of these stories also reminds us that it is very important to be prepared in case there is a fire.
When was the last time you saw an 8 page article in vanity fair. I can’t remember. Much less an article like this. With all the recent blockbusters featuring citizens of various African nations i don’t mean to bore you with more of the same but you should take a look at this. It has nothing to do with my neighborhood directly but indirectly it affects us all and our economy; can you say gas prices. At least it its a riveting piece of ‘wordsmanship” just like that word i made up that i believe you would find rather entertaining. Take a chance and read all eight pages if your not entertained i guarantee you your money back.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/02/junger200702
Co-op City is known for its affordable housing and mini-malls that surround the neighborhood, which is why many people consider moving there. However if you have a car, you might want to think twice.
The parking garages in Co-op City have been under construction for about 4-5 years now. Riverbay Corporation tried to alleviate the situation by allowing drivers to park in th Peartree lot and the Greenway. Unfortunately Riverbay recently let residents know that they can no longer park in the Peartree lot; also that drivers from certain garages may not park in the Greenway or else they will be forced to tow cars.
To make matters worse, the city has started construction on the streets so most of the day many blocks can’t be used to park. Once the workers leave for the day, they park their huge trucks on the street taking up space that could be used for residents. When asked about the parking situation Ms. Gloria Wharton, President of building 9B, said “Oh, oh, oh yeah the parking. The restoration started about five years ago. We hope to have one lot finished soon– at least one.”
New Jersey, though notorious for its smoked filled sky line, and mysterious whiffs of factory smoke, took steps to address concerns over C02 emissions in the air; Woodbridge is one of several townships equipping their municipality fleet with cost efficient hybrid vehicles, and making a statement about where they stand on issues of the environment.
Woodbridge officials added 12 hybrid cars to the township’s fleet, its largest ever purchase of environment-friendly vehicles. Mayor John McCormac and the township environmental commission presented the new Ford Escape SUV’s during a meeting at town hall. The cars arrive officially in April and will be used by the township’s engineering and code inspection officers. Woodbridge also applied to be apart of the New Jersey Bio-Diesel Fuel Rebate Program which will help to make 139 of its vehicles run on biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel fuel is a substitute made from renewable organic sources such as soy bean oil, usually blended with petroleum.
Other notable efforts have taken place in Highland Park with its “Green Challenge”, an initiative launched this month, which ties all of their environmental endeavors into one united effort. High land Park took several steps already to bring awareness to this cause. One such example can be seen with their municipal hall which operates under solar panels.
In the annual fifteen minute walk I make from my house to the Woodbridge train station everyday, I can’t help but have a greater appreciation for the environment, and even greater need for it to be at its best . I am excited about the steps some townships in New Jersey took towards going green. While, they are just small steps hopefully this attitude toward our environment will spread and we can make more of a national effort to decrease our dependency on foreign resources and protect our environment with cost efficient alternatives.
To read more about Highland Park’s efforts to go green check here: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/middlesex/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1173591995133590.xml&coll=1
To read more about Woodbridge’s purchase of hybird cars check here: http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-2/117273017774610.xml&coll=1
Jersey city has always been known for being the city closest to Manhattan and pretty much nothing else. For a long time its residents have wanted to separate from the image of being the town right across the Hudson and create an identity that has basis in its own right and no ties to the ever so present New York City. The city has used this appeal of proximity to its advantage in its latest en devour of becoming the next big art district in the tri-state area. This is a technique employed in NYC quite frequently which usually results in the appearance of a trendy neighborhood which then leads to a rise in the area’s rent prices then it becomes populated with people in their late 20’s and early 30’s forcing the artistic community to move elsewhere example park slope. Jersey city is going to build a 52 story condominium/ hotel designed by internationally acclaimed Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.It is proposed to be the heart of this new district. it will be quite an impressive undertaking which will hopefully improve the more commonly seen dilapidated infrastructure of its immediate, post industrial surroundings. More info about this and the very artistic design proposal can be seen at the link below.
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070305/LIFE/703050372
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